Method and system for protecting a cryptography device

ABSTRACT

The method for protecting a cryptography circuit from attacks aiming to discover a secret datum (D i , K) used during execution by the circuit of a cryptography algorithm comprising the application ( 22 ) of at least one cryptographic operation (O i ) to the data (D i ), said data belonging to a first mathematical structure (E) having at least one group structure and provided with at least one binary operation, is characterized in that it comprises a step (OP i ) for protecting said cryptographic operation, comprising applying ( 20 ) to said data (D i ) at least one first reversible homomorphism (M i ), compatible with said binary operation, before applying ( 22 ) said cryptographic operation (O i ), and applying ( 24 ) at least one second hornornorphisrn (M i   −1 ), opposite the first homomorphism (M i ), after applying said cryptographic operation (O i ).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to French Patent Application No. 1059936, filed on Nov. 30, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to a method for protecting a cryptography circuit from attacks aiming to discover a secret datum used during execution by the circuit of a cryptography algorithm comprising the application of at least one cryptographic operation to the data, said data belonging to a first mathematical structure having at least one group structure and provided with at least one binary operation.

The purpose of cryptography is to allow to entities to communicate in complete security using an unsafe communication channel, i.e. a channel that may be spied on by a third entity, hereafter called “adversary,”

To that end, cryptography in particular makes it possible to protect the confidentiality of a piece of information, through encryption of that information and the dual operation, decryption, or to protect only the authenticity of a piece of information, using complementary signature and signature verification operations.

Cryptographic protection of a given message is generally implemented by a microcircuit, by applying one or more mathematical operations to that message, operations which depend on a key, called secret key in symmetrical cryptography and public or private in asymmetrical cryptography.

Such a protection method is, however, subject to attack by an adversary, seeking to access the content of the message or the key itself.

A standard adversary model, at the root of the use of cryptography to protect communications, is that where the adversary is only an observer, passive and/or active, acting via the transmission channel. In this model, the adversary can access all communications, interrupt them or even alter them. Cryptographic protocols resistant to these categories of adversaries exist, and in some cases perform very well.

Due in particular to the widening of the fields of application of cryptography, new adversary and attack models have appeared. In particular, microcircuit devices implementing cryptography algorithms are sometimes subject to attacks aiming to determine the secret data they manipulate such as the key(s) used and possibly, in certain cases, information on the messages themselves.

This is for example the case of so-called side channel attacks, which exploit certain properties of software or material implementations of the cryptography algorithms.

In particular, certain types of attacks exploit the fact that each mathematical operation of a cryptographic computation has a different energy signature from another one. For example, the energy consumption generated by the transition of an information bit from value ‘1’ to value ‘0’ is different from that generated by the transition of a bit from ‘0’ to ‘1’

Thus, SPA (Simple Power Analysis) or DPA (Differential Power Analysis) attacks consist of measuring the power consumption generated by a cryptographic calculation, for example the currents and voltages entering and leaving the microcircuit during execution of the cryptographic algorithm, and deducing the series of operations performed, or even the key used, from those currents or voltages.

Furthermore, measuring the electromagnetic field created by the electric current during a cryptographic computation may lead to electromagnetic attacks (EMA), the principle of which is identical to attacks relating to the energy consumption.

Furthermore, “time attacks” make it possible to find the key(s) used during a cryptographic computation from simple measurements of execution times, i.e. by analyzing the duration of the mathematical computation units, which can depend on the values of the data.

These new types of attacks, based on simple passive observation of the cryptographic computations, can be implemented to fraudulently access paid television services, for example. Such services use encryption and decryption algorithms to safely transmit audiovisual content to subscribers, who have decoders able to decrypt the encrypted content using a key. The power consumption of these decoders can thus be monitored and analyzed to access that key, and thereby give the attacker the ability to decrypt the audiovisual content fraudulently.

Furthermore, another type of element, having access to the cryptography circuit, can also be considered. This type of adversary would in particular have access to the register at all times, and be able to monitor access to the different variables at any time, and observe the operations carried out. This is then called “white-box” cryptography.

The aim of the invention is therefore to provide a cryptographic protection method offering increased resistance to attacks of the aforementioned type.

To that end, the invention relates to a protection method of the aforementioned type, characterized in that it comprises a step for protecting said cryptographic operation, comprising:

-   -   applying to said data at least one first reversible         homomorphism, compatible with said binary operation, before         applying said cryptographic operation, and     -   applying at least one second homomorphism, opposite the first         homomorphism, after applying said cryptographic operation.

The method according to the invention also comprises the following features, considered separately or in combination:

-   -   said cryptographic operation is applied to the result of said         first homomorphism,     -   said second homomorphism is applied to the result of said         cryptographic operation,     -   said second homomorphism is applied after applying at least two         cryptographic operations to the result of said first         homomorphism,     -   said cryptography algorithm comprises applying at least two         cryptographic operations to the data, and at least one         reversible hornornorphisrn is applied before at least two of         said cryptographic operations,     -   at least two distinct homomorphisms are applied to said data,     -   said homomorphism is an application of said first mathematical         structure toward a second mathematical structure distinct from         said first structure, provided with at least one binary         operation different from said at least one binary operation of         said first structure,     -   said homomorphism is a homomorphic encryption,     -   said cryptographic operation is applied using a correlation map         indicating the result of said operation as a function of the         input variable of that operation,     -   said homomorphism and said cryptographic operation are applied         using a single correlation map indicating the result of the         composition of at least said homomorphism and said operation as         a function of the input variable of said homomorphism.

The invention also relates to a device for protecting a cryptography circuit against attacks aiming to discover a secret datum used during the execution by said circuit of a cryptography algorithm comprising the application of at least one cryptographic operation to data, said data belonging to a first mathematical structure having at least one group structure and provided with at least one binary operation, characterized in that it comprises means for applying to said data at least a first reversible hornornorphisrn, compatible with said binary operation, before applying said cryptographic operation, and at least one second homornorphisrn, opposite said first homomorphism, after applying said cryptography operation.

The invention will be better understood using the following description, provided only as an example, and done in reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates the structure of a protection device according to one embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a summary diagram illustrating the successive steps of the protection method according to one embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 3 is a detailed illustration of a step of the protection method shown in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a summary diagram illustrating the successive steps of the protection method according to another embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 5 is a summary diagram illustrating the successive steps of the protection method according to another embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 1 shows a protection device 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention.

The device 1 comprises a processor 3 and a memory 5, connected so as to be able to exchange data such as a security key or data.

The memory 5 can store data, and comprises a secured memory space 7, able to securely store in particular the security key(s) and/or the data to be encrypted or decrypted, at least temporarily.

The processor 3 comprises an algorithmic cryptography application 9, which can apply a cryptography algorithm such as encryption or decryption to data to be protected or that is protected, and means 11 for protecting the algorithmic application.

The microprocessor 3 is thus able to apply a cryptography algorithm to a message and implement a method for protecting that algorithm so as to prevent detection of the key and/or data by an adversary.

FIG. 2 shows the primary steps of the protection method according to one embodiment of the invention, implemented by the protection device 1 as shown in FIG. 1 during execution of a cryptography algorithm on the data requiring cryptographic protection, involving a security key.

We will hereafter consider that this cryptography algorithm is an encryption, but the protection method described in reference to FIGS. 2 to 5 could indifferently be applied to decryption operations or any other type of cryptographic protection algorithm.

The execution of this cryptography algorithm comprises implementing a plurality of mathematical operations O_(i), also called cryptographic operations, successively applied to the initial data, then to the data obtained after each of these operations. In the rest of the description, D₀ will denote the initial data, D_(i) the data obtained after an operation O_(i), and D_(n), the data obtained at the end of the cryptography algorithm.

The operations O_(i), that depend on the security key, denoted K, are for example chosen from among basic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, any operation derived from these basic operations, such as exponentiation or polynomial evaluation, or binary operations such as the “exclusive or” XOR or the “and” function AND.

Each of these operations O_(i) is protected from possible attacks by the inventive method, The encryption of the data D₀ thus more generally comprises implementing a plurality of protected mathematical operations OP_(i), the results of which are identical to the results of the operations O_(i), but which are protected from attacks such as D channel attacks.

The steps carried out during each protected operation OP_(i), are detailed in FIG. 3.

The protection of each mathematical operation, and more generally of the entire cryptography algorithm, rests on the application to the data, advantageously before each operation, of a first group morphism, or homomorphism, reversible and randomly selected, and the application, advantageously after each operation, of a reverse homomorphism the first homomorphism.

Thus, the implementation of a protected operation OP_(i) comprises a step 20 for applying a first homomorphism, denoted M_(i), to the initial data D₀ or to the data D_(i−1) resulting from the protected operation OP_(i−1). Then, during step 22, the operation O_(i) which depends on the key K, is applied to the result M_(i)(D_(i−1)) obtained at the end of step 20. Lastly, during step 24, a second homomorphism, denoted M_(i) ⁻¹, opposite the first morphism M_(i), is applied to the result of the operation O_(i).

A group is an algebraic structure defined as a set E of elements, provided with at least one binary operation, generally denoted additively (+_(E)) or multiplicatively (×_(E)). All of the elements of the group have an inverse for the binary law. Furthermore, the net comprises a neutral element denoted O_(E) when the law is denoted additively, or 1_(E) when the law is denoted multiplicatively.

A set is a ring if it has two binary laws, generally denoted +_(E) and ×_(E) respectively, such that (E, +_(E)) is a group.

Furthermore, if all of the elements, with the exception of the zero element, are reversible by the multiplicative law, the ring E is a field,

A group morphism between two groups E and F. possibly equal, is defined as an application φ compatible with the law of those groups, i,e. such that for any x,y ε E, φ(x+_(E)y)=φ(x)+_(F)φ(y) and φ(0_(E))=0_(F), where +_(E) and +_(F) designate the binary law of groups E and F, respectively, and O_(E) and O_(F) their neutral element,

Furthermore, if a morphism φ is bijective, it is reversible. Thus, denoting its inverse with φ⁻¹, for any element x of the set E: φ⁻¹(φ(x))=φ(φ⁻¹(x))=x.

Furthermore, a group morphism is a ring morphism if it involves an application φ defined between two rings E and F, and compatible with the laws of those rings, i.e. such that: for any x,y ε E, φ(x+ _(E) y)=φ(x)+_(F)φ(y)  (1) for any x,y ε E, φ(x× _(E)y)=φ(x)×_(F)φ(y)  (2) φ(0_(E))=0_(F) and φ(1_(E))=1_(F)

A ring morphism therefore keeps all of the usual operations, such as addition and multiplication, but also the operations derived from them such as exponentiation or composition by a polynomial, or their reverse operations (subtraction or inversion of the reversible elements).

In the rest of the description and claims, the general term “homomorphism” will designate any application of a set E toward a set F. possibly identical, having at least one group structure, this application preserving at least one binary law of those sets.

Of course, this name also includes any morphism having, aside from the properties of a group morphism, additional properties, and in particular ring morphisms, algebra morphisms or field morphisms. For example, an algebra morphism keeps, aside from the two binary operations, a so-called external law, for example multiplication by an element of a different body from the algebra in question.

Thus, if one considers that the data D are elements of a ring E provided with an addition and a multiplication, and that the morphism M_(i)applied to the data D_(i)during step 20 is a reversible morphism as previously defined, for example an endomorphism, and the reverse of which is the morphism M_(i) ⁻¹ applied during step 24, the data D_(i+1) obtained at the end of step 24 verify the following equality: D _(i) =M _(i) ⁻¹(O _(i)(M _(i)(D _(i−1))))=O _(i)(D _(i−1))

In fact, since the operation O_(i) is a basic operation of the ring E, or an operation derived from the basic operations of the ring E, this operation O_(i) is preserved by the morphisms M_(i) and M_(i) ⁻¹. In particular, since the morphism M_(i) preserves the additive law and the multiplicative law of the ring E, all of the operations derived from those two laws, therefore all of the operations O_(i), are also preserved.

Consequently, the data D_(i), obtained at the end of step 24 are identical to the data that would have been obtained solely by applying the operation O_(i) to the data D_(i−1).

However, due to the random nature of the applied ring morphism, the bits of the input variables are randomly altered. The energy signature (electrical and/or thermal and/or electromagnetic) of the protected operation OP_(i) as well as its execution duration are therefore random, unlike those of the operation O_(i), which makes any analysis of the energy consumption or emissions, or the execution time, ineffective.

Applying a morphism to the data D_(i−1) before each mathematical operation O_(i) and the reverse morphism after that operation thereby makes it possible to conceal the energy signature of the operations O_(i) successively applied to the data to be encrypted, therefore to protect the encryption of that data from attacks such as side channel attacks, without altering the final result D_(n) of the cryptography algorithm, i.e,. the encrypted data.

Advantageously, the morphism M_(i) and its opposite M_(i) ⁻¹ used during the various protected operations OP_(i) are different from one another, and are chosen randomly. Thus, the energy signature of the morphisms M_(i) cannot be analyzed. Furthermore, the morphisms M_(i) used are advantageously modified upon each execution of the cryptography algorithm, such that the energy signature of that algorithm is different upon each execution, preventing any statistical analysis of that signature.

Each morphism M_(i) is then randomly chosen before executing the operation O_(i), for example by random drawing of that morphism in a pre-established database of morphisms, or by determining new morphisms during execution of the algorithm.

The morphisms M_(i) are for example Frobenius morphisms, defined on he ring E of characteristic p>0 by: Frob_(E):x→x^(p), or any morphism defined from the Frobenius morphism.

The ring E is then for example an extension of a Galois field of degree k≧2, denoted GF(p^(k)). A Galois field, denoted GF(p), is defined by all of the modulo p integers, in particular denoted Z/pZ, p being a prime number. In such a field, x^(p)=x,

Alternatively, the ring morphisms M_(i) can be homomorphic encryptions, i.e. encryption operations having the same properties as a morphism, and depending on a key Ks.

These homomorphic encryptions are advantageously completely homomorphic encryptions, as defined in “Fully Homomorphic Encryption Using Ideal Lattices,” Gentry C., STOC 2009, 169-178. Such morphisms have algebraic properties substantially identical to the field morphisms, and thus able to be considered ring morphisms. In particular, such morphisms completely preserve the structure of the starting set, ring or field, and in particular the additive law XOR and the multiplicative law AND, and are reversible.

Such morphisms can thus be used when the operations Oi executed during the cryptography algorithm are binary operations, for example XOR operations, AND operations, or operations derived from them.

Furthermore, homomorphic encryptions preserving L types of operations (for example addition and/or multiplication) may also be used.

Homomorphic encryption also has the advantage of depending on a key Ks, hereafter called secondary key because the encrypted data obtained at the end of the cryptography algorithm do not depend on that key. Homomorphic encryption can therefore be written as a function C(D_(i), K_(s)), or, with a fixed key, as a function ƒ(D_(i)) having the homomorphic properties previously described.

Consequently, a same homomorphic encryption function C can create a very large number of different reversible morphisms ƒ(of order 10³⁰⁰), by modifying only the key Ks. In practice, a number of different keys of order 10⁴⁰ may prove sufficient.

Thus, the morphisms M_(i) (and their opposites) used to protect the successive operations of a cryptography algorithm can be chosen randomly by selecting a same encryption C for all of the protected operations OP_(i), but while randomly choosing the key Ks for that encryption before each of those operations.

Alternatively, the morphisms M₁ can be simply homomorphic encryptions, not preserving the additive law and the multiplicative law, but only one of those laws. This may for example involve RSA (Rivest Shamir Adleman) encryption, which preserves only the multiplication. Such morphisms M_(i) can also be used when the operations O_(i) only use a single type of basic operation, for example only addition or only multiplication.

It should, however, be understood that the embodiment presented above is not limiting.

In particular, according to another embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 4, the reverse morphism M_(i) ⁻¹ is not applied immediately after the operation O_(i), but after several consecutive operations O_(i), O_(i+1) . . . Thus, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, one of the protected operations OP_(i) comprises the application of a homomorphism M_(i) to the data D_(i−1), followed by the application of the operation O_(i). That protected operation OP_(i) is itself directly followed by the application of the operation O_(i+1), then the reverse morphism M_(i) ⁻¹. The operation O_(i+1) is thus applied to the image of the data D_(i) by the morphisrn M_(i).

Furthermore, several morphisms can be applied to the data before each operation O_(i), the reverse morphisms then being applied successively after each operation Oi, so as to offer better resistance to attacks.

Furthermore, the morphisms used are not necessarily endomorphisms, and can be applications of a first ring E toward a second ring F whereof the additive and multiplicative laws are advantageously different from the additive and multiplicative laws of the first ring E. Such morphisms have the advantage of transposing the operations O_(i) in an algebraic space F different from the algebraic space E of the data D_(i), which further increases the protection of the cryptography algorithm. In fact, in this embodiment, an attacker cannot access the mathematical set in which the operations are performed, even using in-depth statistics on the energy signals of the computations.

According to one particular embodiment, the operations O_(i) and/or the morphisms and M_(i) ⁻¹ are not done via computations, but via correlation maps, making it possible to access the result of an operation without computation from values of the input variables (the data D_(i) for example). FIG. 5 thus illustrates two successive protected operations done during the execution of a cryptography algorithm according to this embodiment.

During a first protected operation OP₁, the processor 3 applies to the data D₀ the morphism M₁ and operation O₁, without computation, but by accessing a correlation map T₁ corresponding to the operation O₁∘M₁, stored in the protected memory 7. Thus, during this operation OP₁, the processor 3 looks for the image O₁∘M₁(D₀) of the input data D₁ by combining the morphism M₁ and the operation O₁.

Then, during the following protected step OP₂, the processor applies to the data M₁(D₁) resulting from step OP₁ the reverse morphism M₁ ⁻¹, followed by the morphism M₂, and operation O₂, using a single correlation map T₂ corresponding to the operation O_(2 ∘M) ₂∘M₁ ⁻¹, stored in the protected memory 7.

The following steps OP_(i) are carried out according to the same principle. However, the reverse morphism M_(n) ⁻¹ is applied to the data during the last step OP_(n), so as to obtain, at the end of the n steps OP₁, OP₂ , . . . OP_(n), the same encrypted data as those that would have been obtained by applying only operations O₁ , . . . O_(n).

Advantageously, the morphisms M_(i) and M_(i) ⁻¹ are applications of a first ring E toward a second ring F different from E, and transposing the operation O_(i) into a different algebraic space from the algebraic space E of the data D_(i−1). Such a transposition results in preventing a possible attacker from determining a linear relationship between the input data and the output data of the operations OPi, and to deduce therefrom the operations O_(i) performed.

The use of such correlation maps is thus particularly advantageous to protect the cryptography algorithms when the attackers have the possibility of monitoring the computations done step by step, the protection method according to the invention therefore making it possible to improve the security of cryptography systems in a white box.

It will be noted that when the cryptography algorithm comprises several mathematical operations O_(i), the latter are not necessarily all protected by applying a reversible morphism. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for protecting a cryptography circuit from attacks aiming to discover a secret datum used during execution by the circuit of a cryptography algorithm, comprising the application of at least one cryptographic operation to the data, said data belonging to a first mathematical structure having at least one group structure and provided with at least one binary operation, comprising a step for protecting said cryptographic operation, comprising: applying to said data at least one first reversible homomorphism compatible with said binary operation, before applying said cryptographic operation, and applying at least one second homomorphism, opposite the first homomorphism, after applying said cryptographic operation, wherein said homomorphism is an application of said first mathematical structure toward a second mathematical structure distinct from said first structure, provided with at least one binary operation different from said at least one binary operation of said first structure.
 2. The protection method according to claim 1, wherein said cryptographic operation is applied to the result of said first homomorphism.
 3. The protection method according to claim 1, wherein said second homomorphism is applied to the result of said cryptographic operation.
 4. The protection method according to claim 1, wherein said second homomorphism is applied after applying at least two cryptographic operations to the result of said first homomorphism.
 5. The protection method according to claim 1, wherein said cryptography algorithm comprises applying at least two cryptographic operations to the data, characterized in that at least one reversible homomorphism is applied before at least two of said cryptographic operations.
 6. The protection method according to claim 5, wherein at least two distinct homomorphisms are applied to said data.
 7. The protection method according to claim 1, wherein said homomorphism is a homomorphic encryption.
 8. A method for protecting a cryptography circuit from attacks aiming to discover a secret datum used during execution by the circuit of a cryptography algorithm, comprising the application of at least one cryptographic operation to the data, said data belonging to a first mathematical structure having at least one group structure and provided with at least one binary operation, comprising a step for protecting said cryptographic operation, comprising: applying to said data at least one first reversible homomorphism, compatible with said binary operation, before applying said cryptographic operation, and applying at least one second homomorphism, opposite the first homomorphism, after applying said cryptographic operation, wherein said cryptographic operation is applied using a correlation map indicating the result of said operation as a function of the input variable of that operation.
 9. The protection method according to claim 8, wherein said homomorphism and said cryptographic operation are applied using a single correlation map indicating the result of the composition of at least said homomorphism and said operation as a function of the input variable of said homomorphism.
 10. A device for protecting a cryptography circuit against attacks aiming to discover a secret datum used during the execution by said circuit of a cryptography algorithm comprising the application of at least one cryptographic operation to data, said data belonging to a first mathematical structure having at least one group structure and provided with at least one binary operation, said device being configured for applying to said data at least a first reversible homomorphism compatible with said binary operation before applying said cryptographic operation, and at least one second homomorphism, opposite said first homomorphism, after applying said cryptography operation, wherein said homomorphism is an application of said first mathematical structure towards a second mathematical structure distinct from said first structure, provided with at least one binary operation different from said at least one binart operation of said first structure. 